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In Reply to: Re: Brits... posted by Estes on December 15, 2005 at 15:40:18:
The engine which was made by Allison had over 300,000 kilometers on it. The main bearings were brass, and were turned by hand on a lathe which would be very primitive by today's standards. They were within .0003 of original factory specifications. Maybe we should check your BMW?There are two hundred year old Patek Phillippe watches that keep perfect time. Will your Seiko be around in 2205?
I own a Mosin-Nagant rifle that will very consistently shoot ½" groups at 100 yards using iron sights and surplus ammunition. The rifle was made at the Sestroretsk factory in Russia in 1913. Can your new Remington do that?
We have better materials, and we can make things faster. To say that no precision exists in products of the past would be a serious mistake, a very serious mistake indeed.
Follow Ups:
Yes & a 1924 Rolls was a mass market product just like a Thorens... NOT! Sure, the items you list were made to fanatical standards. Yes it has been possible to do so for a long time. The point is, it is NOW easier to meet high standards, more quickly & cheaply as compared to 1924.In some cases this happens. In most cases, as you suggest, the lure of quicker & cheaper holds sway, so all you get is quicker & cheaper, not better. But the real comparison is between an old Land Rover with its underpowered tractor motor & one of the current models. The standard of machining on the newer engine is much higher.
I love our bimmers. We have been driving them for quite a few years, and even with all of the electrical quirks, they are so much more fun to drive than most of the competition.
I experienced the electrical quirks of various British cars when I was young...as a result my favourite joke is:Q: Why do the British drink warm beer?
But the electrical issues never did cease. My previous roadster was a 1970 Datsun 2000 that I bought new in Japan when I was in the US Air Force. Now that was a wonderful car. Very fast, and very reliable. Unfortunately, it got totalled by a hit and run driver when it was parked on the street in front of our house.
Sorry to hear about Datsun 2000. Regarding MGBs, they would start in the dead of a Canadian winter, but if it rained...forget it! You were walking. That never made sense to me, as it frequently rains in England.
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